Book Review- Mark Konkel- Disaster Park

Mark Konkel- Disaster Park (Blue Leaf Publications 2011) 3 Stars

The author describes his book as:
Imagine if you could have been a passenger on the Titanic? Or on the 92nd floor of the North Tower? If there was no danger to you, would you choose to experience “Living History,” the new amusement park ride under development at Delaney Corporation? Arnie Hetzel, a forensic computer programmer, does not want to consider the question as he’s struggling with his own personal disaster, but when astronauts start appearing in events from 1903 and tests of the “Battle of Gettysburg” fail miserably, Jase Delaney, the genius behind Delaney Corporation, convinces Arnie that his efforts could be therapeutic. So with only five months until opening, Arnie delves deeper into this living museum--this 360-degree holographic environment where riders experience military battles, infamous disasters, and grisly murders--but as he does, will he be saved from his own tragedy? Or will he find it disrespectful to recreate a mass murder in hologram then charge admission?

It was an interesting introduction to the book, it really gets your imagination going, although, it was distracting to have the conversations going on in the background. I found that it really slowed down for quite some time though. It did pick up again later on, and I really enjoyed the Civil War battle scene. It was kind of distracting with how much it shifted from person to person, which made it harder to get into. The main character was pretty well done, but the other characters I found a little weak. It was smart to take on the angle that would get emotions going and could be seen as a controversial topic. The last section of the book was interesting and catches you by surprise; a nice twist to finish off the book. The epilogue was a nice touch as well, good to see things working out. Overall I wish that it took on a faster pace, but not a bad one-time read.

For more of my reviews check out my website, http://www.tonypeters.webs.com/

Tony Peters
Kids on a Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping
http://authortonypeters.blogspot.com/